I thought the SproutBaby website was very easy to navigate. Another great feature is that in each category, there are helpful articles relevant to the products you are browsing. For example, before shopping for baby care products, you can read their Guide to Personal Care Products for Babies and Kids.

Speaking of baby care products, SproutBaby.com sent me some samples of Episencial Playful Foaming Wash. The packaging is SO cute, featuring The Hungry Little Caterpillar. ^.^ The same day I received the samples, Oliver (my 18mo) decided he would give this wash the ultimate test by having a massive diaper blow out. I'll leave out the yucky details, but let's just say he was covered from knee to underarms. The Playful Foaming Wash certainly did the job, and it wasn't long before my littlest Sprout was clean again. The scent is very mild, and didn't leave any lingering scent on Oliver (although it smelled so pleasant, I wouldn't have minded if it did). It wasn't as "foaming" as I thought it would be, given the name, but still a great wash. You can purchase Playful Foaming Wash at SproutBaby.com, along with tons of other products. AND Mountain Momma Musings readers (that's you!) can take 15% off their first order by using this coupon code: SBBL135. Valid until 2/28.

Mandatory Entry: Browse the SproutBaby website, and leave a comment with which of their [many!] other products catch your attention. Be sure to include your email address where I may contact you if you win.

Bonus Entries: (leave a separate comment for each one)* Sign up for SproutBaby's newsletter* Publicly follow my blog via Google Friend Connect (see side column)* Follow me on Twitter (leave username)* Follow SproutBaby on Twitter (leave username)* Grab my button and post it on your blog (leave link)* Blog about this giveaway with a link to this post (leave link)- worth 2 entries* Tweet the following (leave permalink) - can do once daily:

This giveaway ends on February 2nd, at 11:59pm EST. Winner will be drawn using random.org, and contacted via email. If I do not hear back within 72 hours, a new winner will be chosen. Only open to U.S. residents. Good luck!

Monday, January 18, 2010

Ecostore NZ was founded more than 15 years ago by Melanie & Malcolm Rands from their home in New Zealand. Living in an eco village, they were dedicated to their community's commitment to healthy living with minimal environmental impact. And thus their line of plant-based, bio-degradable household cleaners and bath/body products was born, and has continued to grow, including to here in the US.

EcoStore products contain "No Nasty Chemicals". Here's a list of some of the things they avoid... * NO toxic petrochemicals* NO enzymes* NO optical whiteners* NO synthetic perfumes or dyes* NO Sodium Lauryl Sulphate* NO phosphates* NO bleach* NO ammonia or ammonia derivatives like TEA, DEA or MEA* NO parabens* No propylene glycol

Yeah, that's a lot of nasty stuff, and you can read on their website for specifics on WHY they avoid them, such as health complications and being detrimental to our water systems.

EcoStore USA was gracious enough to let me chose two items from their store to try out. After much deliberating, I decided on their toilet cleaner and multi-purpose spray. I'm a little bit embarrassed to say how excited I was to try their toilet cleaner. Our water comes from a spring on our property, so we have some pretty hard water. This has left very stubborn, and very yucky-looking, stains in the toilet bowl. Not wanting to use mainstream toilet cleaners (containing those nasty chemicals listed above, and not sure if they'd even work), I've learned to live with them, after MUCH scrubbing to no avail.

As soon as my package from EcoStore USA arrived, I ran to the bathroom to give the toilet cleaner a try. The Sprouts, being the curious creatures they are, crowded around me (and as there are no potent fumes in these products, I didn't mind). Ten minutes later, the toilet bowl looked 90% better. I haven't seen it so white since when the toilet was first installed. Absolutely amazing!!! I would post pictures, buuuut, it is a toilet bowl we're talking about. *wink*

The multi-purpose spray is awesome as well. It's naturally anti-bacterial due to the citrus oils, so I've been using it a lot both in the bathroom and kitchen. Smells great too, without being too strong.

Mandatory Entry: Visit the Ecostore USA website, and leave a comment with which product(s) you would most likely spend your GC on if you won. Be sure to include your email address where I may contact you.

Bonus Entries: (leave a separate comment for each one)* Sign up for EcoStore's newsletter, found on their blog* Publicly follow my blog via Google Friend Connect (see side column)* Follow me on Twitter (leave username)* Follow EcoStoreUSA on Twitter (leave username)* Grab my button and post it on your blog (leave link) - worth 2 entries* Blog about this giveaway with a link to this post (leave link)- worth 2 entries* Tweet the following (leave permalink) - can do once daily:

This giveaway ends on January 25th, at 11:59pm EST. Winner will be drawn using random.org, and contacted via email. If I do not hear back within 72 hours, a new winner will be chosen. Only open to U.S. residents. Good luck!

Friday, January 15, 2010

Pirate's Booty natural snacks take the "junk" out of junk food. Compared to the mainstream "turn your fingers day-glo orange" brand of puffed corn snacks, Pirate's Booty has half the fat (5g a serving versus 10g) since they are baked. Pirate's Booty also has almost half the sodium as well. And that junk I mentioned? Pirate's Booty snacks contain NO trans fat, NO artificial colors, and NO artificial flavors.

Pirate's Booty sent us a treasure chest full of their snacks to try out, and the Sprouts were so excited. We hardly ever buy chips and the sort, due to their tendencies to be full of hydrogenated oils and artificial junk, all of which we avoid. It's so great to have an alternative in which we can satisfy our snack cravings... and boy, do these ever!! Being a cheese fiend, my favorite so far has been the Aged White Cheddar flavor. The BBQ ones were really yummy as well- just enough flavor to give it a kick, but not too much (no stinky breath afterward). The Sprouts seemed to enjoy the Veggie puffs the most... very unique, savory flavor.

This giveaway ends on January 22nd, at 11:59pm EST. Winner will be drawn using random.org, and contacted via email. If I do not hear back within 72 hours, a new winner will be chosen. Only open to U.S. residents. Good luck!

Friday, January 1, 2010

I first stumbled across WeeEssentials when looking for soap bits to tuck into my cloth diaper cakes. After absolutely falling in love with her shop, I ordered a couple packs to try out. I'm now proud to say not only do her soap bits find a place in my diaper cakes, but also permanent residence on my bathroom counter. Her soap bits are either 99% natural (those with fragrance oils), or 100% natural (those with essential oils). However, you can rest assured that ALL of them are SLS (sodium laureth sulfate) free, and contain only the highest quality ingredients.

How do you use them? Simply dissolve 1 cube in 1 cup of heated water. How easy is that?! You can then use the resulting soapy solution for moistening cloth wipes (for cleaning just about anything!). Other suggestions for the solid cubes are using them as single-use guest soap, or taking them along with you to use in public restrooms. My thoughts? Like I said, I've been using WeeEssential soap bits for quite a while now, and I just love them. The scents smell fantastic- strong enough to make stinky diaper changes a little more pleasant, but not enough to be overwhelming. I also think the owner, a mother of two (soon to be three!), is just the sweetest person, and doing business with her has been nothing but wonderful.

Want to try WeeEssentials soap bits for yourself? Winner of this giveaway will receive a small pack of Lavender Chamomile (12 soap bits), a sampler pack of Energize! (3 bits) and a sampler pack of Witches' Brew (3 bits). (Note: she now packs her soap bits in cute jars, but these particular soap bits will arrive in her previous packaging of little labled baggies).

Mandatory Entry: Visit the WeeEssentials' Etsy shop, and leave a comment with your favorite scent. Be sure to include your email address where I may contact you.

Bonus Entries: (leave a separate comment for each one)* Publicly follow my blog via Google Friend Connect* Follow me on Twitter (leave username)* Follow WeeEssentials on Twitter (leave username)* Sign up for my email updates (be sure to validate)* Grab my button and post it on your blog - worth 2 entries (leave link)* Blog about this giveaway, with both a link to the sponsor's site as well as this blog post (leave link) - worth 2 entries* Tweet the following (leave permalink) - can do once daily:

About Me

Hello! I'm April, momma to three little Sprouts (ages 4y, 3y and 18m). We live in the beautiful mountains of Virginia, where we try to live as naturally and healthily as possible. Of course, there is always room for improvement, but I feel even baby steps can make a huge difference.

On this blog, you'll find my honest opinions on various eco-friendly and/or handmade products & companies. If you have any questions, or would like for me to feature your product, please contact me at EnchantedDandelions@gmail.com.